Ben Miller x (Not)Gagosian
Endangered Rivers Project
Endangered Rivers Project, is the culmination of a multi-year effort that brings together the work of Montana-based painter Ben Miller, conceptual artist group (Not)Gagosian, and Japanese clothing brand South2 West8. The project will be on view September 16th to November 15 at the Nepenthes NY flagship store, and will coincide with the launch of the Fall 2022 South2 West8 x Ben Miller collaborative clothing line. This will be the first time the Endangered Rivers Project will be publicly shown.
The collaboration between Ben Miller and (Not)Gagosian, expands the possibilities of environmental representation in art. The Montana based painter creates work that is both abstract and allegiant to the real world. (Not)Gagosian, a conceptual artist collaborative, has worked with Miller to create these digital iterations building upon his Endangered Rivers series. In The Endangered Rivers Project, the digital and physical depend on one another to evolve the concepts and process behind Miller’s original paintings.
Miller works en plein air directly on the banks of the rivers he depicts. He paints using a hand-crafted brush attached to the end of a fly-fishing rod, cast against a Plexiglas sheet. This process draws comparisons to the Action Painters or Abstract Expressionists. However, Miller is as much a conservationist as he is an artist. The concept driven work relies on the circumstances Miller paints under, allowing for representation not of the river alone, but of his entire experience there. The passage of time, the weather, and the water conditions are also the subject of the work. Thus, the painting becomes a record of a particular instance.
Exhibition Details:
Ben Miller X (Not)Gagosian
The Endangered Rivers Project
September 16 – November 15, 2022
Exhibition Opening:
September 16th
7pm to 9 pm
Location:
Nepenthes NY
307 W 38th St
New York, NY 10018
The Endangered Rivers are not abstractions, but a complex ever changing snapshot of one place on a particular day.
Above: Endangered Rivers, 2022
Digital installation and accompanying realtime digital animation
66 in x 280 in
In the twenty-four-foot installation of six digital rivers, an algorithm composes Miller’s brushstrokes, taken from the preparatory paintings on view, according to real time conditions at the river. The digital transmutation extends Miller’s work. The algorithm continuously receives and processes data, all while remaining in the artist’s own aesthetic language.
The juxtaposition between the physical and digital works demonstrates their reciprocal nature. Miller’s brush strokes allow the data to be visualized by the algorithm while the digital pieces provide a deepened understanding of Miller’s Endangered Rivers. They show the viewer how each brush stroke is susceptible to external factors– the painting is a response to, and created by, the surroundings.
The Endangered Rivers Project reflects the fragility of Miller’s subject matter– the endangered river itself. With each work dependent upon variable factors, the instability of the outcome mirrors that of the rivers he paints. Each piece is constantly subject to change, just as the river is. In the context of our global confrontation with environmental changes, Miller creates a moment of pause for the viewer to consider his ultimate cause: preservation of these natural resources. The Endangered Rivers Project shows us how our action, or inaction, has the potential to impact these ephemeral bodies.
Selected Works
Ben Miller
East River, NY (9/9/2022)
2022, Acrylic on Optimum acrylic, 48 in x 48 in
Ben Miller X (Not)Gagosian
The Endanger Rivers, 2022
2022, Digital installation and accompanying data-driven realtime animation, 66 in x 280 in
Ben Miller X (Not)Gagosian
The Endanger Rivers, 2022
2022, Digital installation and accompanying data-driven realtime animation, 66 in x 280 in
Ben Miller X (Not)Gagosian
The Endanger Rivers Preparatory Works 1 to 12, 2022
2022, Acrylic on polycarbonate and accompanying digital animation, 12 in x 12 in each
Ben Miller
Ruby River I, MT
2022, Acrylic on polycarbonate, 60 in x 84 in
Ben Miller
Ruby River II, MT
2022, Acrylic on polycarbonate, 60 in x 84 in
Endangered Rivers Project X South2 West8
Collaboration
About
Ben Miller began his Endangered Rivers series of paintings out of a deep passion for raising the awareness and importance of river preservation.
Ben Miller is a Montana-based painter best known for his Endangered River series. He received a BFA in art from WSU in Seattle and spent 12 years teaching art before moving to Bozeman, Montana in 2016.
Miller began his Endangered Rivers series out of his deep passion for raising the awareness and importance of river preservation. The Endangered Rivers paintings, like the rivers themselves, are complex layers of color and transparency. Each work is created in reverse, with marks made on the back of a plexiglass panel. When turned around, the first strikes of paint represent surface reflections and whitewater rills. These highlights are then backed by successive color layers of deeper and darker forms. While his preparation is calculated, the execution must be spontaneous. He must first find the right spot, then read the river and the day. Miller’s stated goal for these works is to mark down the truth of a river, not something he thinks it should be.
Ben Miller has spent the past seven years painting the endangered rivers of Colorado and Montana. This led to a recent film collaboration, a documentary short, of which Miller is the subject, directed and produced by (Not)Gagosian and titled The Rhythms of the River. Through this project, Miller came to the attention of the Japanese fashion brand South2 West8 and they’ve recently launched a clothing line collaboration inspired by the project.
(Not)Gagosian is thrilled to collaborate with the artist on a series of unique digital artworks inspired by works from this series with portions of the sale of these works going to fund local Montana river charities.
